Remember folks you don't get paid for sick time if you get fired. Last company knew that and screwed me even though I was working m-f and every other sunday. At least I got the vacation I was owed. Manager was clueless and never oversaw our work, only sat in his cube and paged us endlessly to report to his manager. Try fixing high tech equipment while you get paged for an update every 15 minutes.

fredbox:So there are people who still don't get the 5150 reference, huh?

That's hilarious. I had to google it, not familiar with that. So he is just a loser fake troll like all the rest of the angry conservatives here on Fark. Sadly I have no experience with quack doctors so 5150 means nothing to me.

Eh, took a week off for a staycation last month. The world didn't crumble and I came back to the same job, no problem. But, seeing as how I basically work in and office equivalent of the Borg Collective, there's always another processor to pick up my workload and make the numbers and keep my seat warm until I get back from whatever I'm doing in my free time.

intelligent comment below:Oh and one more. He claimed to self finance his car insurance by handing the state of California $35k cash money because he didn't want to pay "rising premiums from speeding tickets"

Okay so you are worried about the cost of rising premiums but would rather lose tens of thousands of dollars every year sitting in the state's bank account not yours?

Well, not saying that it wasn't a flat out lie, but I know a few people that do self-FRA bonds to avoid the car-insurance scam. It's wholly dumb because, yes, it ties up your money in the state's coffers, but if you live in a state or city where insurance is stupid expensive (NYC, for instance you can see premiums of $3000-4000/year), you CAN make out if you drive reasonably sane and don't wreck your car.

Anytime a person is required to file and maintain Proof of Financial Responsibility Insurance with the BMV, it can be done by one of the following types of insurance:

-Certificate of Insurance (Form SR22) - obtained from a licensed insurance agency;-Surety Bond in the amount of $32,500 - obtained from a licensed insurance agency;-BMV Certificate for money or government bonds in the amount of $30,000 on deposit with the Ohio Treasurer.

Really? Is this now considered a luxury in the US? If so, that's pretty sad.

If someone was working for me and took two weeks off all at once, I would be sure to get rid of them at the next round of layoffs. If they're going to disappear for two weeks and leave the rest of us hanging, then that shows they're not devoted to the team and they can't be counted on. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs and if someone isn't serious about their job it isn't hard to find someone who would take it seriously. If they take off for two weeks and things go smoothly while they're gone, then it's an indication that they're not that essential and there is no reason for them to be on the payroll since we can function just fine without them.

Not sure if trolling... or a shiathead.

These days, it is impossible to tell. But some management types actually believe this stuff. And (except for the dumb ones - and there are plenty) it has nothing to do with productivity - well-rested secure workers are more productive than exhausted terrified workers - it's all about power. Sometimes profit is worth sacrificing if it means you have greater control over your workforce.

HotIgneous Intruder:Le Bomb Suprize: I'm with ya on this one. And lets not forget bathroom breaks too. If you can't count on your employee to use the bathroom before they leave the house I doubt they have the discipline to to their job properly. In fact, I'm all for reducing or eliminating bathrooms in the workplace in favor of adding in another cubicle or two and increasing production.

seadoo2006:Well, not saying that it wasn't a flat out lie, but I know a few people that do self-FRA bonds to avoid the car-insurance scam. It's wholly dumb because, yes, it ties up your money in the state's coffers, but if you live in a state or city where insurance is stupid expensive (NYC, for instance you can see premiums of $3000-4000/year), you CAN make out if you drive reasonably sane and don't wreck your car.

Anytime a person is required to file and maintain Proof of Financial Responsibility Insurance with the BMV, it can be done by one of the following types of insurance:

-Certificate of Insurance (Form SR22) - obtained from a licensed insurance agency;-Surety Bond in the amount of $32,500 - obtained from a licensed insurance agency;-BMV Certificate for money or government bonds in the amount of $30,000 on deposit with the Ohio Treasurer.

Sure and that's hoping you never get in an accident. Good luck with that in CA or NY for example

Give me 32,500 and I will make far more than 4k investing it. That's why it's a waste sitting in the states coffers.

intelligent comment below:seadoo2006: Well, not saying that it wasn't a flat out lie, but I know a few people that do self-FRA bonds to avoid the car-insurance scam. It's wholly dumb because, yes, it ties up your money in the state's coffers, but if you live in a state or city where insurance is stupid expensive (NYC, for instance you can see premiums of $3000-4000/year), you CAN make out if you drive reasonably sane and don't wreck your car.

Anytime a person is required to file and maintain Proof of Financial Responsibility Insurance with the BMV, it can be done by one of the following types of insurance:

-Certificate of Insurance (Form SR22) - obtained from a licensed insurance agency;-Surety Bond in the amount of $32,500 - obtained from a licensed insurance agency;-BMV Certificate for money or government bonds in the amount of $30,000 on deposit with the Ohio Treasurer.

Sure and that's hoping you never get in an accident. Good luck with that in CA or NY for example

Give me 32,500 and I will make far more than 4k investing it. That's why it's a waste sitting in the states coffers.

Completely agree with you ... however, Ohio allows for Ohio bond holders to apply for coverage, so as long as you're invested in some long-term, low-risk, low-return state bonds, you can apply for the exemption.

But, yeah, in 99/100 cases, you're going to lose in the long term rather than ponying up yearly to an insurance company and having a claim every decade or so.

You, and most Americans, are overestimating your chances of losing your jobs, you are seriously overestimating the effect of things like taking a vacation will have on losing your jobs, and the amount you make yourselves miserable trying to hang onto that job is way out of proportion to your actual chances of losing it.

I think it's more that most Americans convince themselves that they are so essential and matter so much that they possibly couldn't take that much time off, lest the whole operation fall apart.

I agree....for the first three or so years after college I was working 50 hours or more a week and other than my honeymoon I never took any vacation for three years. I convinced myself I was too valuable and this was being reinforced from management....oh did I mention I was making $30-38k during this time.

After a few life changing events I have now realized that work is just not that important. Do a good job, have a good attitude and set you personal limits of what you will do and the vast majority of managers respect that.

I have worked for seven companies in healthcare (basically a death panel), it, manufacturing, telecom, and aerospace and never had a problem. 'll never be a superstar and I'm okay with that.

Really? Is this now considered a luxury in the US? If so, that's pretty sad.

If someone was working for me and took two weeks off all at once, I would be sure to get rid of them at the next round of layoffs. If they're going to disappear for two weeks and leave the rest of us hanging, then that shows they're not devoted to the team and they can't be counted on. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs and if someone isn't serious about their job it isn't hard to find someone who would take it seriously. If they take off for two weeks and things go smoothly while they're gone, then it's an indication that they're not that essential and there is no reason for them to be on the payroll since we can function just fine without them.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go yell at that no-good Jetson about his sprocket production numbers."

Jesus, there are still people afraid of losing their jobs or not getting a promotion because they go out to eat lunch? Cripes, where do you poor souls work

Sounds like regular jobs to me. Pick a place at random.

and WHY do you still work under those conditions???

Homeless shelters have bedbugs and poor people smell.

Hmm ... sounds like people just suck. Here in Cleveland you can't go anywhere without seeing about 873878164981476 "Hiring" signs ... why work a job you hate? Seriously ...

/Whole office is flying to Cancun the second week in November for the company trip ... WHOLE OFFICE, as in ALL 24 of us ... we're shutting down for a week like we do every year we turn a profit and enjoying an all-inclusive resort (we're also a 100% profit-sharing corporation).//3 weeks vacation every year (not including the company trip), 1 week sick time.///Went out west last year for 2 weeks and my co-workers absorbed my work for that time, just like we all do when someone leaves for vacation////I sorta feel sorry for people who work jobs where they fear for their employment ...

Lots of hiring in C-Town, huh? I beg to differ. I have a terrible job and I've been looking for awhile. Everything seems to be part time, temp to possible hire, or want to start you at 12$/ hr.

In the past year I've been going back and forth on applying for a new job to make my commute better but this sort of thing is part of the reason I decided to stay a while ago.

I've know a lot of people who have worked for companies where they have a legitimate reason to fear being fired for stupid crap like this. I work for a company that pays me a reasonable salary, gives me reasonable benefits and treats me like a human being. It was one of the major things I looked for when I graduated and I feel damn lucky to have found it.

I don't understand why companies don't understand that hiring workers of whom you expect a lot but to whom you give appropriate respect, consideration, and compensation is a much more effective way to run a company than terrifying and exploiting everyone under you so that the only people who work there are the ones who can't go someplace better.

Unless something major changes, I probably won't be going anywhere for a while.

\10 days paid vacation per year with carryover for up to 2 years, to increase with seniority\\I rarely take more than the occasional long weekend, but I'll likely be going away for 3 weeks in the spring for my honeymoon. This month I was happy to help cover for a co-worker who took a few weeks off and he and the others won't complain about doing it for me.

We have a number of customers in Europe. It's hard to get anything done there in August -- seems like half the continent is on vacation. We had one customer with an overdue invoice, and when we follow up, they tell us it won't get paid for another month because the person with authority to approve it is on vacation. What a mess.

Jesus, there are still people afraid of losing their jobs or not getting a promotion because they go out to eat lunch? Cripes, where do you poor souls work

Sounds like regular jobs to me. Pick a place at random.

and WHY do you still work under those conditions???

Homeless shelters have bedbugs and poor people smell.

Hmm ... sounds like people just suck. Here in Cleveland you can't go anywhere without seeing about 873878164981476 "Hiring" signs ... why work a job you hate? Seriously ...

/Whole office is flying to Cancun the second week in November for the company trip ... WHOLE OFFICE, as in ALL 24 of us ... we're shutting down for a week like we do every year we turn a profit and enjoying an all-inclusive resort (we're also a 100% profit-sharing corporation).//3 weeks vacation every year (not including the company trip), 1 week sick time.///Went out west last year for 2 weeks and my co-workers absorbed my work for that time, just like we all do when someone leaves for vacation////I sorta feel sorry for people who work jobs where they fear for their employment ...

Lots of hiring in C-Town, huh? I beg to differ. I have a terrible job and I've been looking for awhile. Everything seems to be part time, temp to possible hire, or want to start you at 12$/ hr.

Which side of town are you? Because everything on the east side is desperate for employes. Progressive is on a hiring BOOM and benefits there are ridiculous. My friend has been there for 6 years and gets one day off for every two weeks she works. They are doing a huge hiring push. Swagelok, Brennan Industries, Nestle, and Stouffers are all having major hiring runs right now (In fact, Nestle is getting ready to build a new $50 million R&D building and is hiring 40 new people).

I'm not sure what you do, or what you're looking at doing, but most of the larger employers on the east side are going crazy right now looking for new people.

I work in a hospital in what I would call an extremely high stress environment: I'm on an implementation team who is in the middle of having half our hospitals live on CPOM, and the other half going live in a few months. I spend all my time halfway between build for the app, physician training, meetings, and driving back and forth across the state to our co-location.

I earn 11.5 hours of pto every 2 weeks. People on my team take PLENTY of time off. I've taken 3 weeks off this year, and am still stressed to high heaven... thats just the way it is until the implementation is done. Theres no way I would work at the company I do, in the field I do, without that benefit.

I feel fortunate as hell for my situation, despite the fact that most nights I get to the hotel or back to my house and am a combination of exhausted and/or anxious about work..either way, I feel shiatty for people who don't have the option to take time off, regardless of wether or not they can travel or just stay home.

Jesus, there are still people afraid of losing their jobs or not getting a promotion because they go out to eat lunch? Cripes, where do you poor souls work

Sounds like regular jobs to me. Pick a place at random.

and WHY do you still work under those conditions???

Homeless shelters have bedbugs and poor people smell.

Hmm ... sounds like people just suck. Here in Cleveland you can't go anywhere without seeing about 873878164981476 "Hiring" signs ... why work a job you hate? Seriously ...

/Whole office is flying to Cancun the second week in November for the company trip ... WHOLE OFFICE, as in ALL 24 of us ... we're shutting down for a week like we do every year we turn a profit and enjoying an all-inclusive resort (we're also a 100% profit-sharing corporation).//3 weeks vacation every year (not including the company trip), 1 week sick time.///Went out west last year for 2 weeks and my co-workers absorbed my work for that time, just like we all do when someone leaves for vacation////I sorta feel sorry for people who work jobs where they fear for their employment ...

Lots of hiring in C-Town, huh? I beg to differ. I have a terrible job and I've been looking for awhile. Everything seems to be part time, temp to possible hire, or want to start you at 12$/ hr.

Which side of town are you? Because everything on the east side is desperate for employes. Progressive is on a hiring BOOM and benefits there are ridiculous. My friend has been there for 6 years and gets one day off for every two weeks she works. They are doing a huge hiring push. Swagelok, Brennan Industries, Nestle, and Stouffers are all having major hiring runs right now (In fact, Nestle is getting ready to build a new $50 million R&D building and is hiring 40 new people).

I'm not sure what you do, or what you're looking at doing, but most of the larger employers on the east side are going crazy right now looking for new people.

Solon ...

Oh, I'm on the East side... I'm a mechanical designer but can't get enough experience to learn where I'm at and be in more demand because they bounce me around to different areas. And no BSME degree, which seems to be a problem despite working in the industry for 7 years. Also a lot of electrical design, but again no BSEE. Only got a BA in a completely different field. I'd really take any decent job at this point...

xl5150:If someone was working for me and took two weeks off all at once, I would be sure to get rid of them at the next round of layoffs. If they're going to disappear for two weeks and leave the rest of us hanging, then that shows they're not devoted to the team and they can't be counted on. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs and if someone isn't serious about their job it isn't hard to find someone who would take it seriously. If they take off for two weeks and things go smoothly while they're gone, then it's an indication that they're not that essential and there is no reason for them to be on the payroll since we can function just fine without them.

If your team can't function because someone took two weeks off for vacation, then your team is run like ass.

If your team can function when someone takes two weeks off, but you then assume that means you can do without that person at all, then your team is run like ass. That's like saying "I was OK for two weeks with zero savings, so that must mean I don't need savings at all!" You need some excess capacity to allow for vacations, sickness, and voluntary turnover, just like you need money set aside for a rainy day. Both are the responsible thing to do.

I don't know why I read these threads. Back in Japan I think there's one whole month that doesn't have a paid holiday in it and I usually took about three weeks off in August where I'd just connect my paid time off to O-Bon. Now I am hoping I'm lucky enough to find a company to sell my soul to before my savings run out and I starve to death. God bless America.

At least that'll go quick. Leave the country for a few years without paying in unemployment or income tax and you cease to exist. I wasn't even counted in the last census.

Gov't employee, so I earn 12 hours of annual leave and 8 hours of sick leave every month, but I'm well into the triple digits on both. Why? Because taking a vacation means a nightmare of backlog waiting for you when you get back. Actually, the longer the vacation the better, because if you're gone for a week you're going to plan ahead and work with your boss to farm out the work for others to cover. Whereas if it's only a couple of days, you're kind of on your own. Even though we're perfectly within our rights to take time off, we're not encouraged to do so, and the workload scares people off from doing it./I usually only take a day or two here and there, but I take close to two weeks for Christmas

Jesus, there are still people afraid of losing their jobs or not getting a promotion because they go out to eat lunch? Cripes, where do you poor souls work

Sounds like regular jobs to me. Pick a place at random.

and WHY do you still work under those conditions???

Homeless shelters have bedbugs and poor people smell.

Hmm ... sounds like people just suck. Here in Cleveland you can't go anywhere without seeing about 873878164981476 "Hiring" signs ... why work a job you hate? Seriously ...

/Whole office is flying to Cancun the second week in November for the company trip ... WHOLE OFFICE, as in ALL 24 of us ... we're shutting down for a week like we do every year we turn a profit and enjoying an all-inclusive resort (we're also a 100% profit-sharing corporation).//3 weeks vacation every year (not including the company trip), 1 week sick time.///Went out west last year for 2 weeks and my co-workers absorbed my work for that time, just like we all do when someone leaves for vacation////I sorta feel sorry for people who work jobs where they fear for their employment ...

Lots of hiring in C-Town, huh? I beg to differ. I have a terrible job and I've been looking for awhile. Everything seems to be part time, temp to possible hire, or want to start you at 12$/ hr.

Which side of town are you? Because everything on the east side is desperate for employes. Progressive is on a hiring BOOM and benefits there are ridiculous. My friend has been there for 6 years and gets one day off for every two weeks she works. They are doing a huge hiring push. Swagelok, Brennan Industries, Nestle, and Stouffers are all having major hiring runs right now (In fact, Nestle is getting ready to build a new $50 million R&D building and is hiring 40 new people).

I'm not sure what you do, or what you're looking at doing, but most of the larger employers on the east side are going crazy right now looking for new peo ...

Do you have CNC experience? There's quite a few manufacturers looking for CNC programming engineers around the Solon area. I'm not sure all what you are doing or where you experience is, but I'd assume you're proficient in CAD, in which case there are some larger machining industries that may be looking. I'm in home construction, so my best guess for places to start might be in commercial HVAC contractors and/or consulting engineers. But, I'm sure you've been looking. Good luck finding somewhere you like, because life is too short to hate where you are for too long.

Jocundry:not5am: FormlessOne: I know you're trying to be sarcastic, but there are companies here in the United States that do, in fact, limit bathroom breaks to 1 per day - 15 minutes total - and that any other breaks you may need are deducted from your paid time. I know, I worked one of those jobs, years ago. You had to punch out & in any time you stepped away from your station, for any r ...

that sounds like a labor law violation. you're supposed to get paid 30 minute break for lunch for 8 hours of work. there's alot of sweat shopish operations that operate like this, betting the people they hire won't know labor laws.

I'd have to check to be sure, but I'm pretty sure it is illegal to prevent employee access to the restroom. That is, you cannot tell people they can only have x amount of time to use the bathroom. Or can only use it at certain times

A friend of mine was telling me just yesterday that all employees where she works have to get medical papers signed so that they can have bathroom breaks besides their lunch break. I kind of think I'd firebomb an employer that pulled that shiat; I get dehydrated really easily, so I have to drink a lot of beverages, especially if the temperature is over like 65. Bathroom bathroom WHERE ARE YOU??

Really? Is this now considered a luxury in the US? If so, that's pretty sad.

If someone was working for me and took two weeks off all at once, I would be sure to get rid of them at the next round of layoffs. If they're going to disappear for two weeks and leave the rest of us hanging, then that shows they're not devoted to the team and they can't be counted on. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs and if someone isn't serious about their job it isn't hard to find someone who would take it seriously. If they take off for two weeks and things go smoothly while they're gone, then it's an indication that they're not that essential and there is no reason for them to be on the payroll since we can function just fine without them.

I hope to never work for you. I get the feeling my tenure under you would end with one of us dead.

Really? Is this now considered a luxury in the US? If so, that's pretty sad.

If someone was working for me and took two weeks off all at once, I would be sure to get rid of them at the next round of layoffs. If they're going to disappear for two weeks and leave the rest of us hanging, then that shows they're not devoted to the team and they can't be counted on. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs and if someone isn't serious about their job it isn't hard to find someone who would take it seriously. If they take off for two weeks and things go smoothly while they're gone, then it's an indication that they're not that essential and there is no reason for them to be on the payroll since we can function just fine without them.

I hope to never work for you. I get the feeling my tenure under you would end with one of us dead.

I have found that higher ed. and govt., jobs have amazing benefits. I have to take at least 1 day off a month or I lose those 8 hours. Mr. zobear just got a job at the other university in town (the real one), and he's tickled to get sick leave. Never had that in the private sector.

Initially, that gave me a good chuckle, but it's pretty sad, that people are put (or put themselves, whichever) in a situation like that. Is that really how you want to live your life?When I lived in Europe, I always had just about 30 paid vacation days, plus paid sick days when you're sick. If you're not sick for the year, fine, if you're out for a couple months, fine, too.In the US, I've always been self-employed. I couldn't put up with the way too many employees are treated out here.

Fell In Love With a Chair:The most I've ever had for paid time off was a week- but you had to work to accumulate it. Therefore, your first year working, you had literally no paid time off. I've worked in IT for ten years now. I've never had a job where I could take more than a day off at once without fearing retaliation, or actually receiving retaliation. This thread is so farking depressing and reminds me how my parents are constantly telling me "just get a good job, just become a manager".I don't have a choice about picking a 'good' one, any job will do.

Every time I freaking call...

One day, I want a job where I can take a whole week off at once. I can't even imagine how cool that would be.

It is not all that great. No one touches your work while you're gone and you play catchup for two days while everyone looks the other way. I do mortgages and no one takes time off. Its not because we consider ourselves essential it is because we don't want to fall behind.

TheGreatGazoo:Slu: xl5150: Slu:My company requires every employee to take at least two consecutive weeks off every year. We have to certify with HR that we have done it and you need Sr. Executive approval to get the requirement waved. It is nice to know you have the block. Went to Spain last year.

Financial company?

I get 26 days of PTO a year in the US.

We're required to take a week in a row off every year (total of 15 working days vacation to start). Banking industry,

Jesus, there are still people afraid of losing their jobs or not getting a promotion because they go out to eat lunch? Cripes, where do you poor souls work

Sounds like regular jobs to me. Pick a place at random.

and WHY do you still work under those conditions???

Homeless shelters have bedbugs and poor people smell.

Hmm ... sounds like people just suck. Here in Cleveland you can't go anywhere without seeing about 873878164981476 "Hiring" signs ... why work a job you hate? Seriously ...

/Whole office is flying to Cancun the second week in November for the company trip ... WHOLE OFFICE, as in ALL 24 of us ... we're shutting down for a week like we do every year we turn a profit and enjoying an all-inclusive resort (we're also a 100% profit-sharing corporation).//3 weeks vacation every year (not including the company trip), 1 week sick time.///Went out west last year for 2 weeks and my co-workers absorbed my work for that time, just like we all do when someone leaves for vacation////I sorta feel sorry for people who work jobs where they fear for their employment ...

I've just never understood businesses that discourage workers from taking their time off, and workers who are afraid to use it. Time off is part of your compensation package the same way that your salary is. If a company discourages its employees from using their time off, they should be honest and stop offering time off to their employees. At least then, prospective employees would at least know they were coming to work for a soulless douche of a company.

It's like getting offered a 100K a year job, but the company frowns upon you cashing your whole check every week. Clearly, that means you are paid too much. Stupid logic right? How is that any different from using the vacation days the company promised you when they hired you?

xl5150:moefuggenbrew: Got denied two days off by my boss, who just got back from 2 months in Sweden.

Then work hard, apply yourself, and become a boss. Your boss went to Sweden because he's the boss, not the worker. Once you've accomplished enough to be in charge you can reward yourself with time off if you deem that you have deserved it. Until then, it's your boss's call.

You literally could not pay me enough to work for a company that allowed this kind of environment. I'd never do it. I've walked off jobs on the first day because I didn't like how I was spoken to by someone. There's no way in hell I would stand for the kind of attitude you're promoting.

Where I work you accrue 13 hours of time off each month. After your first month you get 40 hours of sick time.After your first year you get 80 hours of sick time every year.After 3 years you get 16 hours of time off each month.On your ten and twenty year anniversaries you get an additional 4 weeks of time off. Most people that see that cash out two weeks pay and go on a two week vacation.Can only carry 240 hours of each kind of time off but you can cash out time off(not sick time) once a year as long as you leave 40 hours in the bank.

As much as I want to go postal on my coworkers and bosses at times; the time off is amazing.I take a day off every week to go skiing in the winter and I take a half day off most months to either est lunch with my daughter at school and then go fishing.

I feel pretty good reading this. I get two weeks paid vacation p/year. I get a half hour break a day, I don't always take it, but I could. I also get paid pretty well when all is said and done. I have a boss who genuinely appreciates the effort and time I put in.

not5am:FormlessOne: I know you're trying to be sarcastic, but there are companies here in the United States that do, in fact, limit bathroom breaks to 1 per day - 15 minutes total - and that any other breaks you may need are deducted from your paid time. I know, I worked one of those jobs, years ago. You had to punch out & in any time you stepped away from your station, for any r ...

that sounds like a labor law violation. you're supposed to get paid 30 minute break for lunch for 8 hours of work. there's alot of sweat shopish operations that operate like this, betting the people they hire won't know labor laws.

You misunderstand - those 15 minutes of break time are in addition to the half-hour we were given for lunch - it's not illegal, and yes, quite a few shops operate like that without breaking any laws at all. Federal law does not require lunch or breaks. Our lunch time was unpaid time, but the break time was paid time - that's why our employer was a pain about it. Any time we took for breaks beyond that 15-minute allotment was unpaid time. All of that is entirely legal.

Really? Is this now considered a luxury in the US? If so, that's pretty sad.

If someone was working for me and took two weeks off all at once, I would be sure to get rid of them at the next round of layoffs. If they're going to disappear for two weeks and leave the rest of us hanging, then that shows they're not devoted to the team and they can't be counted on. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs and if someone isn't serious about their job it isn't hard to find someone who would take it seriously. If they take off for two weeks and things go smoothly while they're gone, then it's an indication that they're not that essential and there is no reason for them to be on the payroll since we can function just fine without them.

I hope to never work for you. I get the feeling my tenure under you would end with one of us dead.

No, in any professional environment, it'd end with that chucklehead getting fired at his first performance review for exposing the company to an employer retaliation lawsuit. If your employer provides vacation time and you use that vacation time in an approved manner, attempting to "get rid of them" would actually be an ethical violation. In some states, like California, that's an ass-whupping for the employer. In other states, like Massachusetts, it can be damned hard to prove employer retaliation. Either way, though, most employers worth their salt don't take having some pissant manager exposing the company to unexpected liability, and so it looks better for the employer to fire the pissant manager than it does firing an employee that took approved vacation time.

spentmiles:If you are doing what you love, then you don't need time off. I work with the mentally handicap at a state run facility here in Nevada. Today I gave a forty three year old man enough electric shock therapy to eject three fillings from his mouth. I don't need a vacation.

This is your best one yet. Short, sweet, to the point, yet entirely plausible. You sir, are a genius.